Audiophiles

[esldude]

No, nothing matters. All speakers, amps, dac's, cables... all the same.

Oh so gonna jump to the wrong conclusion in the other direction?

All speakers are not the same. Amps might be getting there, but aren't quite. DAC's should be if they are properly designed. Some are designed to be different. Speaker cables are not all the same though they need not be kilobuck devices to do the job. Interconnects....yeah unless designed as broken I think they are.

I however, haven't done comparisons between the various Ion Generators!

Somehow that brings to mind an idea for another tweak. Pressurized listening rooms. The speed of sound is higher at higher pressure. So resonances change for the better in a pressurized listening room. Higher sound level pressures are possible. More air density should move eardrums better for higher resolution. There are probably some systems with enough money in cable you could sell the cable and spend that on building a pressurized listening room. There is no free lunch however. At higher pressures I am guessing you body might be subject to more degradation from free radicals which over time would be a negative for your overall health. Sometimes you just can't win.

[sandyk]

Hey Dennis !
Keep talking. A lot of hot air will increase the speed of sound !!! (heh,heh!)
Best Regards
and Goodnight from Sydney Au.
Alex

[Richard Dale]

Somehow that brings to mind an idea for another tweak. Pressurized listening rooms. The speed of sound is higher at higher pressure. So resonances change for the better in a pressurized listening room. Higher sound level pressures are possible. More air density should move eardrums better for higher resolution. There are probably some systems with enough money in cable you could sell the cable and spend that on building a pressurized listening room. There is no free lunch however. At higher pressures I am guessing you body might be subject to more degradation from free radicals which over time would be a negative for your overall health. Sometimes you just can't win.

Sounds a good plan to me. I wonder if you had a pressurised listening room, would it allow you to introduce Helium into the atmosphere to fine tune the pitch of your system?

[prufrock]

Kaleidosoul

How's the manhunt going? These boring old farts are totally driving me up the wall with their ad nauseum arguments on audiophilia.

[Kenneth Horne]

Kaleidosoul

How's the manhunt going? These boring old farts are totally driving me up the wall with their ad nauseum arguments on audiophilia.

I object! Some of them are not old.

[Kenneth Horne]

The helium idea sounds a winner! Thanks for all the chuckles.

[prufrock]

Here we go. I may have found a youngin for you. May be promising if the nic is anything to go by.

[4est]

Sound pressure? Gee, why stop there? Why not wear a breathing apparatus and fill the sealed room with different gasses? You could forgo DSP possibly by experimenting with different gas densities as RD alluded to.

[esldude]

Sound pressure? Gee, why stop there? Why not wear a breathing apparatus and fill the sealed room with different gasses? You could forgo DSP possibly by experimenting with different gas densities as RD alluded to.

Excellent suggestion. There were electrostatic speakers that used this made back some years ago. Had bag of rather inert gas that allowed for different length waves due to the change in speed of sound plus it allowed the panel to be run at higher voltages for better efficiency without arcing over. Had a tank of the gas connected to the bag around the speaker.

Following your suggestion we have breathing apparatus for the listener(s). Fill the entire room with gas. Should be much better. Of course if we raise the pressure of the room by too much you will need to go through decompression like divers when exiting the listening area. Otherwise you would suffer from the bends.

[4est]

Excellent suggestion. There were electrostatic speakers that used this made back some years ago. Had bag of rather inert gas that allowed for different length waves due to the change in speed of sound plus it allowed the panel to be run at higher voltages for better efficiency without arcing over. Had a tank of the gas connected to the bag around the speaker.

Following your suggestion we have breathing apparatus for the listener(s). Fill the entire room with gas. Should be much better. Of course if we raise the pressure of the room by too much you will need to go through decompression like divers when exiting the listening area. Otherwise you would suffer from the bends.

You are mostly correct, they are filled using a schrader (auto tire) valve. Those were Dayton Wright XG(x). They used a gas, SF6 (sodium hexaflouride) because it allowed the use of a much higher bias voltage (a plus-plus in this type of design). It also has a different compression property than atmosphere that gave it more transfer efficiency. I have pair, of course they do not work. A brilliant man and design concept with a flawed execution. A shame too, they are bad ass having solved some major flaws with ESLs. I have tank of gas around if anyone wants to give it go!

[prufrock]

No, she's gone. No thanks to the anally retentive cable guys. All it would have taken was a compliment or two, i.e how nice the red hair streaks looked.

[Julf]

No, she's gone. No thanks to the anally retentive cable guys. All it would have taken was a compliment or two, i.e how nice the red hair streaks looked.

Fortunately the rest of us get enough compliments to keep us here.

[chg]

Interesting. I really wonder what your source data for that is. I know my speakers are by far the most expensive parts of both my main systems.

There was a pretty heated cable debate here about a year ago and I just noticed that many (not all) of those claiming not to hear a difference were those with budget speakers. It was just a casual observation. I didn't keep a statistical breakdown of the numbers. Sorry. I wish I had, now.

[chg]

First: It seems some members can only take others opinions in absolute terms. When I make a statement, or give an opinion, I don't mean all, everyone, every system, every speaker.

Oh so gonna jump to the wrong conclusion in the other direction?

No, I was just giving up. If I say something like a Micro Utopia will allow listeners to hear differences between components, cables, etc., better than a $200 speaker and some of you can't even agree on that, then what's the point.

All speakers are not the same. Amps might be getting there, but aren't quite. DAC's should be if they are properly designed. Some are designed to be different. Speaker cables are not all the same though they need not be kilobuck devices to do the job. Interconnects....yeah unless designed as broken I think they are.

I agree completely. That's basically all I've been trying to say. And, that before one goes dismissing cable differences they should (Maybe! Possibly!) consider that the reason they find that "all cables sound the same" is (Maybe! Possibly!) due to a speaker quality issue.

[esldude]

I agree completely. That's basically all I've been trying to say. And, that before one goes dismissing cable differences they should (Maybe! Possibly!) consider that the reason they find that "all cables sound the same" is (Maybe! Possibly!) due to a speaker quality issue.

We can easily agree that a better speaker will let you hear more.

Personally, I think I hear cables. But looking at various aspects rationally there isn't anything going on there for me to hear. So cables sound different I hear it (except that isn't happening even though I seem to hear it).

So maybe I should have been it bit more detailed. I have quite resolving speakers, but I am not hearing cables. So when I think I hear them it matters not the resolving level of the speaker.

[chg]

We can easily agree that a better speaker will let you hear more.

Easily? I would say more like pulling teeth to get you to admit that.

Personally, I think I hear cables. But looking at various aspects rationally there isn't anything going on there for me to hear. So cables sound different I hear it (except that isn't happening even though I seem to hear it).

So maybe I should have been it bit more detailed. I have quite resolving speakers, but I am not hearing cables. So when I think I hear them it matters not the resolving level of the speaker.

A nice round-about way of saying we're imagining things.

Lets approach things from a different angle. Why do some people hear differences in sound, while others do not? I have a friend who's 80 year old mother listens to her little $100 boom-box in the kitchen while she's working. This friend, a few years back, got a new, fairly high end system in a dedicated room. When his Mom heard it, she said it was no different than what she had (her little, old boom-box). On the other hand, his half deaf Dad walked by, without even knowing that my friend had replaced/upgraded his system, stopped in his tracks and said, "music's sounding nice in there". Then, this friend got his Mom a Meridian F80 to replace her junky box. Again, she claimed there was no difference (what a waste of money). We laughed and even kind of teased her about it. We took her favorite CD and played it on his main system and watched her reaction. She finally said, "it sounds a little better, but..." Needless to say, regarding the Meridian, she heard no difference between that and her old junky boom-box. So, why is she unable to hear the obvious improvements between the various set-ups? I'm sure many have had a similar experience with their significant other.

[Kenneth Horne]

I know Linn would call it 'Kable".

I suspect "Kabel". The symmetry of consonant alternating with vowel results in improved performance.

[Julf]

I suspect "Kabel". The symmetry of consonant alternating with vowel results in improved performance.

I agree about the symmetry, but "Kabel" is German, and we can't have that! I can hear the theme music from "Das Boot", with somebody shouting "Kabel! Kabel!"...

[Kenneth Horne]

I agree about the symmetry, but "Kabel" is German, and we can't have that! I can hear the theme music from "Das Boot", with somebody shouting "Kabel! Kabel!"...

I hadn't considered that. However, I'm surprised an obscenity hasn't crept through the IKEA names by accident. And disappointed.

[Kaleidosoul]

From what I saw, her not being around has nothing to do with fear.

Julf: True, and my apologies concerning thus. In addition, one should never belittle a woman by comparing her to a man.

Sorry to have dropped out. I've been a bit distracted by a man who may indeed be able to give me what I need. Cable and all (he he).

To those who question my gender. I am who I say I am. I have a profile picture as well AND I don't mind being compared to a man. I take it as a compliment! I have been stronger and made more money than those boys I have been with in the past. This is my challenge to the new one. Please, don't let me be able to pin you down wrestling!

[Kaleidosoul]

Kaleidosoul

How's the manhunt going? These boring old farts are totally driving me up the wall with their ad nauseum arguments on audiophilia.

So where's your picture? Honestly, I thought you were female when I read a post by you about... if a girl goes to the audio dealer..I thought only a woman would write that!

Why is everyone so afraid to show their face around here???

[Kaleidosoul]

prufrock

"Well my hope of turning this thread into a support vehicle for victims of audiophilia seems to have withered on the vine. Save from Kaleidosoul rushing to my aid with some kind words (proving her gender btw), the response has been disappointing. So last call for those, like myself, who want to come forward with a tale of being taken for a sucker."

Did you miss my posts? Not only did I give you some kind words, I gave you a story as well. And a really good one, at that. If you didn't like it, I can tell you a different one. Also, how do you know that you were taken advantage of? (If you already gave an answer, I didn't see it.

He's a sucker for a pretty face. Try changing your avatar!

[Kaleidosoul]

Wow! You haven't met me and you're already PW!

Sorry you miss me. I'll try to show up once in a while. Look for me more on Album of the Evening.

[prufrock]

So where's your picture? Honestly, I thought you were female when I read a post by you about... if a girl goes to the audio dealer..I thought only a woman would write that!

Why is everyone so afraid to show their face around here???

O.K. That's me on the left. Totally lovable wouldn't you say.
I have a wife and 2 daughters. Maybe that's why you were confused. I have had to grow more like them to survive. All three are music lovers. What gets me is they all seem to enjoy music just as much on a $100 boom box as they do on the multi-thousand dollar systems I have here. In fact, I reckon if anything ever happened to me, they would sell them on E Bay and do some serious online shoe shopping.

[4est]

I envy the lucky fellow! I would say:"Good luck on the new romance!", but methinks he'll need the luck to keep up with you!